The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

food

If you’re traveling to France in the near future and have dreams of picking apart the delicate, flaky layers of authentic croissant, be warned that these beloved pastries may be in short supply when you get there. Why? Apparently because people are eating more butter. [More]

Soon, instead of leaving your bacon in the frying pan — on the verge of burning — in order to get that crispy, crunchy meat, you could just buy crispier bacon from the get-go. Scientists say they have developed genetically modified pigs meant to reduce costs for farmers, while providing consumers with leaner meat. [More]

In its never-ending quest to stick its fingers into as many pies as possible, Amazon will soon allow customers in some areas to place orders for takeout food with local restaurants from inside the Amazon app. [More]

As e-commerce giant Amazon and major grocery chains across the country crowd into the meal kit service arena, it seems Blue Apron may be feeling the heat: The meal kit company announced Wednesday that it’s laying off 6% of its workforce as part of a companywide “realignment” effort. [More]

We hate handing out tips to wannabe white-collar criminals, but if you’re going to use your job to steal millions of dollars in food, at least make sure you’re in the office to answer calls about your latest shipment of embezzled Tex-Mex arrives. [More]

Facebook wants to be your portal to the world. It’s where you can connect (in a sense) with others, keep up with current events (through the filters of you and your friends’ personal biases), watch videos (of people doing their versions of videos previously posted by others)… and also order lunch. [More]

When it comes to ice cream, everyone has a favorite flavor. But if you want to become a true ice cream flavor connoisseur, one expert suggests starting with a simple classic – vanilla — and building your tasting skills from there. [More]

It may look like an ordinary package of salmon, but according to a new investigative report, that fish you bought for dinner may actually be funneling money into the pockets of the North Korean government, and possibly supporting less than ideal working conditions for factory workers in the process. [More]

If you’ve ever been vegging on the couch and found yourself wondering why you’re watching a commercial for Sonic Drive-In — starring those two vaguely familiar actors — when there’s no Sonic restaurants nearby, you’re not alone. The chain purposely airs nationwide ads even in markets where the nearest Sonic is an hour away. [More]

Not content with its recent push into groceries with the purchase of Whole Foods, Amazon is now expanding its efforts in restaurant delivery with a new partnership that could allow customers to order from chains like Shake Shack, Chipotle, and Applebee’s online. [More]

When it comes to breakfast, Post wants to serve up more than cereal: The company says it’s paying $1.5 B for the Bob Evans packaged food business, partly so it can have a “presence in breakfast sausage.” [More]